Do actors skip the first show after opening night?

[broadwayman17]

Posted: 3/5/08 at 10:09pm

Just wondering because I bought In the Heights tickets the tuesday after the opening night and I was wondering if leads take that day off?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 3/5/08 at 10:11pm

Nope.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 3/5/08 at 11:00pm

No.

And if the reviews are good, that'll be a very high energy performance.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/5/08 at 11:47pm

Well, unless they get sick...

[elphaba.scares.me]

Posted: 3/6/08 at 12:01am

The only time I could see this occurring would be in the event an actor was very sick leading up to opening, but pushed through the last few press previews and the opening night.

For instance, did Stephanie Block miss soon after opening of Pirate Queen?

To the OP: I'm sure it's happened, but it's very, very rare.

[blaxx]

Posted: 3/6/08 at 12:15am

Actors don't miss performances, unless it's an emergency (sick or personal), scheduled vacation or scheduled alternate.

There.

[verynewyorkcurious]

Posted: 3/6/08 at 1:04am

I would assume that the actors wouldn't want to miss as many shows as possible, especially right after the opening.

If they all planned to skip the first show after opening night, then they should just cancel the show that day.

[broadwayfan7]

Posted: 3/6/08 at 1:06am

You should see everyone.

[Liverpool]

Posted: 3/6/08 at 2:11am

yeah this never happens unless of illness/emergency. But don't worry if Lin-Manuel is out his understudy is AMAZING.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 3/6/08 at 6:03am

elphaba ~ Yes. I saw The Pirate Queen a day or two after opening and Kathy was in as Grania. But it had been pretty well publicized that Stephanie was sick, so I wasn't totally surprised.

[tazber]

Posted: 3/6/08 at 8:04am

yes, always. And if it stars Benanti or Fantasia probably at least every other performance subsequently.

[Vespertine1228]

Posted: 3/6/08 at 9:22am

I just saw both Paradise Park and Next to Normal at the shows directly after opening night and they were both fine. I would think everyone would be there, and well rested too because lots of times the actors get a day off between opening night and the next show. Don't worry.

[Guillermo Ugarte]

Posted: 3/6/08 at 6:37pm

None that I know. Why would they? The work has just begun.

[blaxx]

Posted: 3/6/08 at 6:47pm

Why would they? The work has just begun.

What does that have to do with anything? Comments like that are pretty ignorant.

[Liverpool]

Posted: 3/6/08 at 6:47pm

????????????????????????

[theatrespaz]

Posted: 3/6/08 at 7:01pm

I saw Xanadu the day after it opened. It was a matinee on Wednesday actually, they opened Tuesday night. The show was wonderful, every actor giving 110% even after I'm sure a late night partying and celebrating the great reviews. I even picked up an opening night playbill because they had them left over.

[DrTheatre]

Posted: 3/6/08 at 9:36pm

It's a very good question, a matter of fact, I work for a regional theater company and they usually plan their opening nights for Sat and it is followed by a day off. There is no Sunday Matinee the next day. In fact this company does all their shows like that. Once opening night hits, the next day, is a day off (depending on the opening night day). Mostly because party goes on to weee hours in the morning...

[SamIAm]

Posted: 3/14/08 at 2:52pm

Blaxx why is Ugarte's comment ignorant? What he/she is saying is that he/she does not understand why an actor would take the day off after opening night. "the work has just begun"...meaning the show has only just opened and there is much work to be done. I'm not sure why you think that comment is ignorant?

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 3/14/08 at 2:57pm

Cough-cough-Madeline Kahn in On The Twentieth Century-cough-cough.

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 3/14/08 at 3:09pm

Nope.

Some productions have done with not having shows the night after opening. YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN opened on a Thursday and had no show the next day. I think that's a pretty cool idea.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 3/14/08 at 3:11pm

"Blaxx why is Ugarte's comment ignorant? What he/she is saying is that he/she does not understand why an actor would take the day off after opening night. "the work has just begun"...meaning the show has only just opened and there is much work to be done. I'm not sure why you think that comment is ignorant?"

Blaxx said that because I don't think Ugarte realizes that the actors have already been working their a$$es off since day 1 of rehersals. The work does not begin after opening night.

[SamIAm]

Posted: 3/14/08 at 5:54pm

Ugarte DOES know they have been working their butts off. He is an actor. Any self-respecting professional actor is not going to take the day off just because he or she has worked hard to get to opening night.